SPACE - random thread about space stuff

[Kraken]

New video from the PRC. They're targeting 2030 for a crewed landing.

[jztemple2]

New video from the PRC. They're targeting 2030 for a crewed landing.

Which will probably beat Artemis, especially if NASA is going to rely on SpaceX to get the Starship HLS ready. Maybe it's time for NASA to swap the Artemis 3/4 moon landing vehicle from SpaceX to Blue Origin

[Daehawk]

China....man if they do get to the moon they're more likely to be remembered as the country that was the first to crash people onto the moon or leave them there to die with a failed way to leave.

Most likely they'd simply lie and film it all in a studio. But Ive seen their photoshop attempts and I dont think they can pull it off.

[Kraken]

New video from the PRC. They're targeting 2030 for a crewed landing.

Which will probably beat Artemis, especially if NASA is going to rely on SpaceX to get the Starship HLS ready. Maybe it's time for NASA to swap the Artemis 3/4 moon landing vehicle from SpaceX to Blue Origin

Or maybe stop limiting SpaceX to 2-3 flights per year. They have a lot of hardware on deck and can rapidly make more, and the launch infrastructure is where it needs to be. They can't iterate fast enough if they have to wait 4+ months between flights.

[Daehawk]

Does Musk have plans for a space station or Lunar base yet?

[Kraken]

China....man if they do get to the moon they're more likely to be remembered as the country that was the first to crash people onto the moon or leave them there to die with a failed way to leave.

Most likely they'd simply lie and film it all in a studio. But Ive seen their photoshop attempts and I dont think they can pull it off.

Thank you for sharing your uninformed and xenophobic opinion. In actual fact, China's progress toward becoming the leading spacefaring nation has been first-rate so far.

The idealist in me doesn't care who gets there first if humanity finally occupies, and eventually colonizes, the moon. But of course it's going to be a race, because tribalism. The Chinese have the luxury of long-term planning and financing that isn't disturbed by political randomness. Don't bet against them.

[jztemple2]

New video from the PRC. They're targeting 2030 for a crewed landing.

Which will probably beat Artemis, especially if NASA is going to rely on SpaceX to get the Starship HLS ready. Maybe it's time for NASA to swap the Artemis 3/4 moon landing vehicle from SpaceX to Blue Origin

Or maybe stop limiting SpaceX to 2-3 flights per year. They have a lot of hardware on deck and can rapidly make more, and the launch infrastructure is where it needs to be. They can't iterate fast enough if they have to wait 4+ months between flights.

That's an interesting point you make there, certainly SpaceX could be flying more often. A few months ago I really felt that these FAA and other agency delays would motivate SpaceX to move Starship launches to the Kennedy Space Center. However, I haven't hear a peep from anyone in the past couple of months about work being done on LC-39 Pad A to prepare for Starship use. The tower is built (heck, I can see it when I run up to the grocery store!) but there don't seem to be any news reports about further activity. I don't think I've even seen any mention at all of a projected first launch time frame for Starship from KSC.

Which makes me think... could SpaceX launch all their Starship HLS development flights from Boca Chica? Do they even need to launch from the Cape? It wouldn't be the first time SpaceX spent a lot of money somewhere and then switched horses

[Daehawk]

Oh Im totally against China or any communist country getting to the moon at all. They will use it as a military base / site and weaponize the moon. You think if they get set up there any ship or nation could approach safely? Nope.

Was going to post an Iron Sky image but no good ones.

[jztemple2]

SpaceX fuels up massive Starship megarocket in test for 3rd launch (photos)

SpaceX's next Starship to fly has passed a critical fueling test, setting the stage for a highly anticipated third launch attempt of the world's biggest rocket.

The gleaming, stainless-steel Starship rocket and its Super Heavy booster, which together stand 400 feet tall (122 meters), were filled with more than 10 million pounds of liquid methane and liquid oxygen propellant during the recent launch dress rehearsal, which was performed at SpaceX's Starbase facility near Boca Chica Beach in southern Texas.

Last week, FAA officials closed a mishap investigation into SpaceX's Starship Flight 2 test, which launched a Starship and Super Heavy booster on Nov. 18. That mission ended in two explosions, first of the Super Heavy booster 3.5 minutes after liftoff and then of the Starship vehicle itself eight minutes into the flight, at a maximum altitude of 91 miles (148 kilometers).

The FAA investigation identified 17 corrective actions for SpaceX to tackle before its next Starship launch. Those actions include 10 fixes on the 165-foot-tall (50 m) Starship vehicle and seven on the Super Heavy booster.

In a statement released on Feb. 26, SpaceX wrote that the Flight 2 Super Heavy booster exploded over the Gulf of Mexico after one of its 33 Raptor engines "failed energetically" after stage separation, likely due to a blocked filter in an liquid oxygen line, leading to a cascade failure.

"SpaceX has since implemented hardware changes inside future booster oxidizer tanks to improve propellant filtration capabilities and refined operations to increase reliability," SpaceX wrote in the statement.

The Flight 2 Starship vehicle, meanwhile, likely failed after a leak in its aft section occurred during a planned venting of liquid oxygen, which led to a "combustion event and subsequent fires that led to a loss of communication between the spacecraft’s flight computers."

"SpaceX has implemented hardware changes on upcoming Starship vehicles to improve leak reduction, fire protection, and refined operations associated with the propellant vent to increase reliability," SpaceX wrote in its statement. "The previously planned move from a hydraulic steering system for the vehicle's Raptor engines to an entirely electric system also removes potential sources of flammability."

[Jaymann]

Can we produce Von Neumann probes in space with existing technology? Silicon chips may be too difficult to fabricate, so revert back to vacuum tubes?

[jztemple2]

Public meetings to be held over SpaceX’s interest in expanding Starship operations in Florida

A series of environmental public meetings will be held as SpaceX has announced interest in expanding its Starship-Super Heavy launch and landing operations to Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

The meetings will focus on the environmental impacts of SpaceX’s proposals for new launch structures and plans.

In the latest proposal, SpaceX has released three options for its Cape Canaveral Space Force Station plans. The first would involve SpaceX either modifying, reusing, or demolishing the existing Space Launch Complex (SLC) 37 infrastructure to support Starship-Super Heavy launch and landing operations.

SLC 37 is currently in operation by ULA, which will be launching is last Delta IV Heavy later this year, thus ending all launches from the pad.

An alternative option would be constructing infrastructure to support Starship-Super Heavy launch and landing operations on an undeveloped portion of land that has been set aside and designated for a future Space Launch Complex-50. SLC-50 would be between SLC-40 and SLC-37.

A non-action alternative is also available where SpaceX would not develop a launch and landing site in support of Starship-Super Heavy launches and would not apply for an FAA vehicle operator license for Starship-Super Heavy launches from CCSFS.

The Department of the Air Force will prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to assess this project's potential environmental impacts. The National Environmental Policy Act requires federal agencies to assess anticipated environmental impacts of their proposed actions, disclose their findings to the public, and solicit public input on their proposals.

[jztemple2]

SpaceX eyes March 14 for 3rd Starship test flight

The next test flight of SpaceX's Starship rocket could come as soon as next week.

SpaceX is targeting March 14 for the third flight test of its Starship vehicle, according to a post on X (formerly Twitter) the company quietly published announcing a livestream of the launch. Starship somewhat confusingly consists of two parts: The stainless-steel reusable upper stage known also as Starship, and its Super Heavy first-stage booster. Together, the two stand over 400 feet tall (122 meters).

The company recently performed a critical fueling test on March at its Starbase facility near Boca Chica, Texas. During the test, over 10 million pounds of liquid methane and liquid oxygen were pumped into the rocket. "Starship Flight 3 preparing for launch," SpaceX CEO Elon Musk wrote in a post on X accompanying photos of the fueling test. You can watch the test here at Space.com, when the time comes, courtesy of SpaceX.

[jztemple2]

SpaceX to push the envelope on 3rd Starship test flight

SpaceX will put its Starship megarocket through its paces on its third test flight.

The upcoming mission, which could launch as soon as March 14, will be markedly different than its two predecessors, with more numerous and more ambitious objectives for the two-stage, 400-foot-tall (122 meters) Starship.

Among the bold goals are "opening and closing Starship's payload door, a propellant transfer demonstration during the upper stage's coast phase, the first ever re-light of a Raptor engine while in space and a controlled reentry of Starship," SpaceX wrote in a mission description.

"It will also fly a new trajectory, with Starship targeted to splash down in the Indian Ocean," the company added. "This new flight path enables us to attempt new techniques like in-space engine burns while maximizing public safety."

[Kraken]

I just hope they can avoid any RUDs this time. Maybe they won't have to undergo months of review if nothing blows up.

[Exodor]

Or maybe stop limiting SpaceX to 2-3 flights per year.

I kind of feel like maybe we can do better than to funnel dumptrucks of taxpayer money to SpaceX:

A SpaceX employee filed suit against the company on Tuesday for sexual harassment and gender bias retaliation, alleging her supervisor pressured her into having an affair and offered her money for an abortion, and the company didn't compensate her fairly—marking the latest lawsuit alleging discrimination at the aerospace company.

The suit also alleged company leadership paid her less than men with comparable jobs, ignored complaints of bias against women, and was trying to get Dopak to quit by giving her more work and pressuring her to return to work early after taking a medical leave

SpaceX is already facing a number of lawsuits from employees and former employees alleging pay discrimination and other workplace concerns—though SpaceX has denied wrongdoing. Last August, the Justice Department sued SpaceX, saying it discriminated against and wouldn’t hire refugees or people seeking asylum, though that case is currently held up in court. In October, a female engineer accused the company of paying women and minority employees less than male and white workers, saying she made $23,000 less than male counterparts. In January, the National Labor Relations Board alleged that SpaceX illegally fired eight employees who wrote a letter outlining workplace concerns and circulated it around to other employees.

[jztemple2]

NASA, Boeing delay Starliner capsule's 1st astronaut launch to early May

The long-delayed first crewed mission of Boeing's new Starliner capsule has been pushed back again.

That mission to the International Space Station (ISS), called Crew Flight Test (CFT), had been tentatively scheduled to launch in mid-April. But that's no longer the plan, NASA and Boeing announced on Friday (March 8).

CFT is "currently scheduled to launch [in] early May due to space station scheduling," agency officials wrote in an update on Friday afternoon.

CFT will lift off atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Florida's Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. It will send Starliner, and NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, to the ISS for a roughly 10-day stay.

The test flight had been scheduled to launch last July. However, technical issues —chiefly, a problem with the suspension lines on Starliner's main parachutes and the fact that much of the capsule's wiring was wrapped with flammable tape — pushed the liftoff to this spring.

Those problems are under control, NASA said in an update in late January, which stressed that CFT was still on track for a mid-April launch. But ISS traffic issues can alter schedules as well, as Friday's news attests.

[Kraken]

I would not want to be the first crew on that vehicle. Here's hoping Boeing got everything right for once.

[jztemple2]

From the article Launch roundup – Starship poised for third integrated test flight. My italics.

The third integrated flight test of Starship is currently scheduled for no earlier than March 14 during a two-hour window that begins at 7:00 AM CDT (12:00 UTC). The required regulatory approval from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in the form of a launch license is expected to be released as close as the day prior.

Pending regulatory approval, all signs are good for a launch in the coming days following a Raptor vacuum engine swap-out and subsequent spin prime test, the closure of the mishap investigation, and a successful WDR on March 3.

Ship 28 and Booster 10 are now at the stage where the automated flight termination system is installed and hardware armed and in what will hopefully be the final stacking for launch. Meanwhile, SpaceX has issued a revised flight plan with some additional tests that will be conducted for the first time on this flight.

Ship 28 will be the first to fly with the electric, rather than hydraulic, thrust vector control, amongst several improvements made to both the ship and booster since the previous test flight. Booster 10 now has a flatter, more bowl-shaped elliptical common dome, while Ship 28 has some structural improvements, some vent position changes, and a working payload door.

While excitement will once again be guaranteed, a successful mission will not be implied by the ship making it to Hawaii this time, following some changes to the flight plan. If Ship 28 achieves its full intended journey, it will instead make a hard landing in the Indian Ocean — a change in trajectory that allows for some additional tests during flight.

As before, hot staging is planned inside the first three minutes of flight and this mission will additionally see a test opening and closing of the payload door just before T+12 minutes. This will be followed by a demonstration of internal propellant transfer during Ship 28’s coast phase at around T+24 minutes. This transfer test is important to keep Starship on track for its part in the forthcoming Artemis missions, despite NASA recently announcing delays to the timeline for the program and pushing dates back by a year.

10,000 kilograms of liquid oxygen is expected to be transferred between the header and main tank to achieve a “Tipping Point” milestone in what will be the largest transfer to date of cryogenic propellant in space. Propellant transfers will be a recurring theme in future flight demonstrations, for which SpaceX has requested the FAA extend the limit of five launches per year to allow for at least nine in 2024.

All going well, Ship 28 will then demonstrate the first relighting of Raptor engines in space within the first hour of its journey, and will then begin a controlled re-entry eight minutes later at around T+49 minutes.

The revised timeline expects a hard, destructive, splashdown landing in the Indian Ocean just over an hour after launch at around T+64 minutes. This revised location allows the additional demonstrations, in particular the in-space engine burns and the subsequent entry trajectory, to be conducted safely.

[jztemple2]

NASA Expanding Lunar Exploration with Upgraded SLS Mega Rocket Design

As NASA prepares for its first crewed Artemis missions, the agency is making preparations to build, test, and assemble the next evolution of its SLS (Space Launch System) rocket. The larger and power powerful version of SLS, known as Block 1B, can send a crew and large pieces of hardware to the Moon in a single launch and is set to debut for the Artemis IV mission.

“From the beginning, NASA’s Space Launch System was designed to evolve into more powerful crew and cargo configurations to provide a flexible platform as we seek to explore more of our solar system,” said John Honeycutt, SLS Program manager. “Each of the evolutionary changes made to the SLS engines, boosters, and upper stage of the SLS rocket are built on the successes of the Block 1 design that flew first with Artemis I in November 2022 and will, again, for the first crewed missions for Artemis II and III.”

Early manufacturing is already underway at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, while preparations for the green run test series for its upgraded upper stage are in progress at nearby Stennis Space Center in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi.

[Kraken]

Y'know, there's a real chance that might fly one day. America has a long history of scrapping or redesigning space exploration projects every time an administration changes. Biden is the first president since the shuttles retired to continue his predecessor's program (trump didn't kill Obama's hardware but did change its mission). Regardless of who wins in November, Artemis is likely to survive the next administration, too, since both candidates are invested in it. Congress is likely to play along for the pork. We could be looking at actual long-term continuity.

[jztemple2]

Regardless of who wins in November, Artemis is likely to survive the next administration, too, since both candidates are invested in it. Congress is likely to play along for the pork. We could be looking at actual long-term continuity.

And of course Florida, Texas and California are getting a substantial part of that pork. Lots of voters there. New York not so much as far as I know.

[jztemple2]

Space is hard: Japan's 1st commercial rocket explodes shortly after liftoff (video)

A Japanese company's first orbital launch attempt ended in a dramatic failure just seconds after liftoff on Wednesday.

The 18-meter-long, four-stage Kairos solid rocket lifted off from Space Port Kii in Kushimoto, western Japan at 10:01 p.m. EDT March 12 (0201 GMT or 11:01 a.m. Japan time on March 13). The flight ended abruptly seconds after it rose off the launch pad when the flight termination system triggered, resulting in the rocket exploding.

The attempt to become the first Japanese private launch company to reach orbit resulted in debris strewn across the launch site. A post-launch press conference stated that no damage was caused and no personnel injured. Fires visible in the immediate aftermath were soon extinguished.



"The rocket terminated the flight after judging that the achievement of its mission would be difficult," company president Masakazu Toyoda said, Reuters reported. It was not stated what triggered the autonomous flight termination system. An investigation into the cause of the failure will follow, with plans for a next launch dependent on the outcome and necessary measures being taken.

Space One's Kairos rocket consists of three solid propellant stages and a liquid propellant upper stage. It is to be able to carry payloads of up to 550 pounds (250 kilograms) to low Earth orbit. It is also designed to be highly automated.

[Zaxxon]

Tomorrow*



* - If things go well...

[Zaxxon]

* - If things go well...

[Isgrimnur]

Space is hard: Japan's 1st commercial rocket explodes shortly after liftoff (video)

[Kraken]

I guess they're aiming for an 8 a.m. launch. I'd consider getting up early if I didn't know the odds that the countdown will be delayed a time or two.

[jztemple2]

I guess they're aiming for an 8 a.m. launch. I'd consider getting up early if I didn't know the odds that the countdown will be delayed a time or two.

5am PDT, 7am CDT, 8am EDT, 1pm CET, 12 noon UTC, anytime is Miller Time

[Kraken]

Sorry, I assumed everyone adjusts their clocks for Kraken time.

I ordinarily get up after my radio gives me the 8am news blip, which can be anywhere from 7:55 to 8:05 assuming the DJ hits the right button. It's college radio so these things are flexible.

Tomorrow I'm setting my alarm for 7:40. Yes, I am going to get up 20 minutes early. It had better be worth it because it will take me a week to recover.

[stessier]

Only got to watch the first 4 minutes, but that is one impressive candle. Hope the rest of the testing goes well.

[Zaxxon]

Only got to watch the first 4 minutes, but that is one impressive candle. Hope the rest of the testing goes well.

They lost the first stage just before the soft splash; looked to me like it started to lose attitude control, and then not all the engines re-lit. 2nd stage appears to be in the correct coast orbit, though. That's a huge improvement, with the hot staging having worked. My guess is we're going to see flight 4 a lot sooner than the timeframe from 2 to 3.

[Kraken]

Great show so far. Starship is in orbit and going through its test program. That's the largest single payload ever placed in orbit (according to the Everyday Astronaut, whose channel I landed on) by quite a large margin. There isn't much to see for the next 15-20 minutes.

[Zaxxon]

Eric Berger already speculating that the next test may include Starlink sats at this rate to test a 'real' deployment.

[Kraken]

My guess is we're going to see flight 4 a lot sooner than the timeframe from 2 to 3.

One hopes. That was a nice clean launch and nothing has exploded (yet). I wonder how many more flights it will take to start recovering the vehicles...they'll be pretty close to fully operational once that happens.

[Kraken]

They just confirmed that Ship 28 was lost on reentry. Not enough data yet to say why, but it appears that the ship started tumbling. Still a very successful day.

[raydude]

I now have my own asteroid. Had to choose between announcing it here or in the "How is your career going" thread, since this was a result of my work.

This was announced at the Asteroid, Comets, and Meteorites conference last June but I just found out today.

[TheMix]

Congratulations! Very impressive!

[Zaxxon]

I now have my own asteroid. Had to choose between announcing it here or in the "How is your career going" thread, since this was a result of my work.

This was announced at the Asteroid, Comets, and Meteorites conference last June but I just found out today.

Awesome!

[LordMortis]

I now have my own asteroid. Had to choose between announcing it here or in the "How is your career going" thread, since this was a result of my work.

This was announced at the Asteroid, Comets, and Meteorites conference last June but I just found out today.

[jztemple2]

Great show so far. Starship is in orbit and going through its test program. That's the largest single payload ever placed in orbit (according to the Everyday Astronaut, whose channel I landed on) by quite a large margin. There isn't much to see for the next 15-20 minutes.

Not to be picky, but my understanding of orbit is that it is a "regular, repeating path that one object in space takes around another one". So Starship didn't achieve orbit, but was on a suborbital trajectory. Still, better than the last launch.

[Zaxxon]

As expected:



And JZ, in my head when I was typing 'orbit,' I knew that you'd come round to correct the terminology.